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In the 1920s and '30s, my grandfather was a successfulsmall-town merchant in Poland. When times were hard, many whofrequented his general store fell into debt. Grandpa never sued andoften extended credit to (or bartered with) these customers. Hedidn'thaveto do this; in many ways, it made nosense.
In the early 1940s, the Germans occupied his hometown. Mygrandfather was Jewish. It was then that these customers rememberedhis kindness-by hiding, feeding and saving my grandfather and hisfamily from extermination.
Perhaps it's a dramatic example, but it's why I believe inthe law of business karma-what goes around, comes around. To thosewho say, "in the long run, there is no long run": yourshortsightedness will cost you.
It's a rare deal in which two sides will never meetagain--business circles can be small. Think twice before you"take no prisoners." You never know when you'll needsomething from the opponent you're about to fleece orhumiliate.
A speaker and attorney in Los Angeles, marc Diener is theauthor ofDeal Power: 6 Foolproof Steps to Making Deals of AnySize(Owl Books/Henry Holt). You can reach him atMarcDiener@aol.com
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